Deep fat frying, or immersion frying, results in food products that typically have a fried, crusty exterior that is generally pleasing to consumers. However, such food products may be high in fat content. Cooking such foods also presents difficulties in commercial establishments. The quality of the oil tends to decrease with use, which leads to inconsistent food product quality, and changing the oil frequently can be expensive. The hot oil from immersion fryers may also contribute to worker accidents, such as burns from spattered or spilled hot oil. Immersion frying may also take several minutes to cook a product, which may be slower than desired in some settings, such as made-to-order or fast food restaurants.
Cooking food using other methods generally does not result in a food product having the same qualities as immersion-fried food. Conduction and convection ovens are relatively slow cooking methods that do not generally provide the same quality of crusty exterior that is characteristic of immersion-fried foods. Microwave radiation heats the food product very quickly, but the food product is often soggy with very little surface browning.